What We’re Reading

New York Times reporters and editors are highlighting great stories from around the web. You can receive What We’re Reading by email, and let us know how you like it at wwr@nytimes.com.

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CreditJoel Ryan/Press Association

Into the Cold

From The New Yorker: If you are a fan of David Grann, the publication of a new article is a cause for celebration. This latest, about the Antarctic obsession of explorer Henry Worsley, a modern-day Shackleton, is moving, disturbing and ultimately heartbreaking. Worsley found himself caught between two ideas. There was Shackleton’s comment to his wife after he gave up and turned around, saving his men: “A live donkey is better than a dead lion, isn’t it?” And then the unofficial motto of Worsley’s old commando unit: “Always a little further.” — John Schwartz, climate change reporter

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CreditVictoria Jones/Press Association, via Associated Press

Memo Battles

From The New York Times: The fallout from the Nunes memo has continued to steer the conversation among political commentators of all ideologies. From the right come arguments that the Trump administration’s criticism of the F.B.I. doesn’t mean it’s “at war” with the bureau; from the left, accusations that Speaker Paul Ryan is abandoning his oath to protect the Constitution. One former C.I.A. agent describes how the treatment of Christopher Steele, the author of the now-infamous dossier, may discourage international sources from cooperating with U.S. intelligence agencies. — Anna Dubenko, senior digital strategist

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CreditWarner Bros.

Up Close

From Slate: I recently became editor of the culture section and — though I work alongside my giant staff every day — I can’t help but seek them out whenever they do podcasts and interviews. This conversation with our critic Wesley Morris dwells more than briefly on the ’80s teen-adventure movie “The Goonies” [pictured above]. That this podcast, part of Slate’s “I Have to Ask” series, also encompasses Woody Allen, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (which he hates) and John Fogerty speaks to Wesley’s ever-ranging interests. — Gilbert Cruz, culture editor

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CreditMeera Sodha, via Associated Press

Cheers

From Taste: For the writer Khushbu Shah, turmeric milk was what her South Asian parents forced her to drink each time a childhood fit of coughing or sneezing began. So it’s been quite weird watching people from other cultures adopt this unglamorous home remedy and endow it with mystical powers and exotic names like “golden mylk.” — Pete Wells, restaurant critic

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CreditKCNA, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Test Lab

From The Outline: Besides an army of researchers and engineers building its missiles and nuclear weapons, there are scientists in North Korea whose job is to find ways of helping the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, live a long, happy life. This article provides glimpses into the life of scientists in the world’s most secretive police state. — Choe Sang-Hun, Seoul-based correspondent

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CreditKrista Schlueter for The New York Times

The Edible Past

From The Korea Herald: As the world turns its eyes to South Korea this week for the Winter Games, friends and colleagues have been asking me for tips. One way to know a culture is through its food. This modest article makes cuisine the fulcrum for memories of Korea’s turbulent modern history. — Inyoung Kang, homepage editor

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CreditNYPD, via Reuters

That Bucket of Gold

From NBC News New York: Maybe crime pays, but does it pay long enough to be worth the consequences? New Yorkers were amazed when an opportunistic thief yanked a bucket full of gold from the back of a truck on a busy street. Although he escaped the United States back to his home in Ecuador, his story doesn’t seem to have the happiest of endings. — Michael Roston, senior staff editor, Science